Check your facts, Mr. Crosswhite

Related Media

The Union published a letter from a Mr. Thomas Crosswhite in which he advises that “millions of Republican votes (were) not counted or were destroyed in the November elections … millions of votes for Obama cast by ineligible voters … voting machines rigged to give Obama votes that were intended for Romney … massive fraud in Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Virginia .…“ And so on, and on.

And just what was Mr. Crosswhite’s factual basis for all these startling assertions? Why, “numerous Internet media reports,” of course!

Let’s all at least try to keep one simple thought in mind as we consider the issues of the world. Repeat after me, “Everyone is entitled to create his or her own opinions, but we are not entitled to create our own facts.”

For instance, Mr. Crosswhite would have us believe that, “In Wood County, (Ohio) 106,258 voted, but only 98,213 were eligible.”

Well, gee, not according to the Wood County Official Vote Count from the Registrar of Voters. The official results showed a total of 63,508 votes cast with Obama receiving 32,802 (51.21 percent), Romney 29,704 (46.37 percent) and all others the balance.

In fact, it was Gov. Romney who received over 50 percent of the votes in 40 of the 97 Wood County polling places.

Then there was allegation that in St. Lucie County, Fla., there were 175,574 registered, eligible voters but 247,763 votes were cast.

Well, again, not according to election officials in St. Lucie County, a county which had a lengthy ballot which necessitated that each voter received two election cards. If every voter had returned both cards the apparent result would be 200 percent, a result that would be statistically impossible.

The final official vote count for St. Lucie County revealed a voter turn out of 70.49 percent, not the 141.1 percent Mr. Crosswhite contends.

And therein lies the problems of the Internet.

As Mark Twain noted years ago, “A lie goes halfway ‘round the world while the truth is still putting on its boots.”